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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28511304">Batwoman and Caravan</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/spookyhat/pseuds/spookyhat'>spookyhat</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Caravan [4]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>DCU (Comics)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Time Loop</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 19:14:30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>7,958</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28511304</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/spookyhat/pseuds/spookyhat</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>An adaptation of the events of the comic series 52, set between July and September of 2020, during the home campaign me and my friends play. This story relies heavily on an understanding of the original comic; as well, its continuity is intentionally vague. I'm sorry I wrote this.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Caravan [4]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2083623</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Original</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>This entire thing has been pretty lucky so far - I thought that the League of Assassins was complicating things when I was first making my way back to Gotham. I had no clue when Cassandra came to me in Iraq, but she wasn't just worried about the damn city.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Now with Batman gone, things are different. Being Batwoman seemed more natural than I thought - in six weeks, I'd gotten myself into something even Batman couldn't handle, and I was definitely about to be in over my head, but fuck it. This is what I signed up for, right? To be everything he couldn’t be?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Gotham was massively destabilized after the blackout. Eiling may have been exposed, and the country was definitely shocked to learn what was really happening in Gotham, but the damage was already done. Moving troops in wouldn't solve the problem. So the city relied on the so-called "Bat-family". I kept to the shadows, watching the floodgates to new gangs burst wide open. Ninjas, mimes, baseball players - even the Riddler made a comeback, somehow - it sure as hell wasn't a hostage crisis in Pripyat. It was something from a comic book.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Then Renee Montoya showed up in my study, and it became real life.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She wanted some info about a warehouse the Colonel owned - something important to her. But we still couldn't spend a minute together without going crazy. We were each other's kryptonite. [*See Issue #7 of </span>
  <em>
    <span>52 </span>
  </em>
  <span>for that scene!]</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Then, she got me interested. I looked her up - no P.I. license. That meant she was digging something deep. So what else could I do but stick my nose in right where she left it?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ridge-Ferrick Holding, leased up until six weeks ago. They emptied out quick, but there were still traces of a fight there. I followed her in her investigation, listened to her log her thoughts. She was investigating based on a single lead - a letter, signed with a question mark, with one word; Intergang.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Caravan has a lot of files on Intergang, including two of their Gotham VIPs, and the location of their headquarters. I read a lot on Intergang, actually. Started to make me think I was going in over my head. Then I saw what the kids were up to.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Amphora usually spends his free time in the lab, browsing the league records or working in his book. Nobody else spends much time in there. Until now, I never wondered why, but when I asked him to show me the system, it honestly caught me off guard. Real names, identities, secrets; damning secrets. Bruce Wayne? Aunt Martha's son? Billionaire playboy?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I started reading, and didn't stop until a week had passed, and I was wrist-deep in a bowl of popcorn. These files were the single most entrancing story I'd ever read - more fantastic than anything Lane could write (Lois Lane, who was </span>
  <em>
    <span>dating Superman</span>
  </em>
  <span>). Amphora just stood there, over my shoulder, pointing out connections he had made after reading these for months. The death of the Blue Beetle and the OMAC crisis, the second Robin coming back from the dead, all of it. All the dirty secrets of the Justice League, there in the League reports.</span>
</p><p></p><blockquote>
  <p>
    <span>"I had Crow search for any hidden files when Oliver wasn't looking. As far as I can tell, that's it. Nobody actually reads these, but the Big Three believed in freedom of information, at least among the League. This is only the tip of the iceberg; Powergirl has two recorded pasts, and Hawkman has three, each as told by a different villain or hero. The only ones that matter, of course, are the ones given by the heroes themselves - we've already confirmed much of the discrepancies to be caused by latent Crisis energy, what we call "aftermath", and don't affect the persons, necessarily, in their entirety.</span>
  </p>
  <p>
    <span>"Look here - this Earth is a cube. On this one, Superman was raised in the declining USSR, uniting it again under socialism. On Earth 8, the Marvel characters of the American Crusader, Wundajin, and the Behemoth are real, and battle crises every day, similar to us. In Teleka's world, *</span>
    <em>
      <span>we're</span>
    </em>
    <span>* fictional. All this vastness is not kept here, within our data vaults - it's out in the world, beyond our reach. The truth is, as far as we can tell, complicated. This is what it means to be a member of the Justice League, and of Caravan."</span>
  </p>
</blockquote><p>
  <b>Fuck it, fuck this, never ask for the priest's help on anything again. I left with a printed-out copy of Intergang's rap sheet and left it at that.</b>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>[A retcon of the previous chapter]</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Caravan has a lot of files on Intergang, including two of their Gotham VIPs, and the locations of their meeting spots. I read a lot on Intergang, actually. Started to make me think I was going in over my head. Thankfully, just when I needed a break, I got one.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Orphan had kept her eye on Montoya for me, and she was finally on the move, to the same Intergang meeting place that I had found. When I got there, Orphan met me on the opposite roof. Renee had entered alone, brandishing a strange gun that Cass couldn't identify - meaning, if Intergang's rap sheet has anything to say, that it's advanced tech from an alien race.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Unfortunately, I didn't have much time to recon before shit went downhill. [From Issue #11 of </span>
  <em>
    <span>52</span>
  </em>
  <span>]</span>
</p><p></p><blockquote>
  <p>
    <span>The doors burst in on a woman and her two associates, as a large, hairy beast pins the detective, just as quickly taking the form of a man. Words are exchanged between the women - getting too close for my comfort - which is where I come in. Just as the other two men begin to grow fur and approach Renee's prone form, a batarang sails through the window, smashing through the lights and bathing the room in darkness and errant rays of streetlight. Following it are two dark shadows - Batwoman, and the Orphan.</span>
  </p>
  <p>
    <span>There's no time for words as I telescope my combi-staff and take on the furred goons. I can barely concentrate on that, though - because as I fight, Renee Montoya clutches that spacegun, awash in the blue lights of Gotham. Her arms flex and nearly catch me off guard as I bash one freak's nose over my shoulder. Then, she takes aim at that gorilla-looking son of a bitch. It's almost too late before I remember the last rule about being Batman, and the last thing the Colonel... the last thing </span>
    <b>my father</b>
    <span> taught me. No killing.</span>
  </p>
  <p>
    <span>"No!" I push her to the side and dive for the gorilla, kicking him through the plate glass window and into the streets of Gotham. Looking back into the room, there's silence, and me and Renee meet eyes. I'll be damned.</span>
  </p>
  <p>
    <span>"Police, coming." Orphan says, holding the struggling snake-like woman as sirens begin to wail in the streets. Renee looks over, in shock, and then I realize where I am. </span>
  </p>
</blockquote><p>
  <span>A one-liner should do it: "Next time, cover your own abs. I mean, ass." Quick as that, I draw Bruce's old grapple and swing off into the city. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Meters behind me, next to the still-staring Montoya, Orphan pauses. "She like you." Damnit Cassandra!</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>[Adapted from Issue 14 or maybe 20-something Of 52]</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>I couldn't really believe she was using the Bat-signal of all things - but as long as I kept ignoring her calls, it was inevitable. She was parked out in the Green, part of Gotham Park, on top of a van. While Orphan ran the plates, I approached. She was mumbling to herself. Kept on saying "it wont work, you bastard." Sad I had to burst her bubble.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"It worked. Now shut it off." She spun around, and I saw for a second something I hadn't seen in her since she asked me out - fear. As I turned, I knew - putting on a cold shoulder was what Batman would do.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Kate. I know it's you. God, I do. I have information on Intergang, but this is something worse. They're coming for you." Well, shit. I wasn't expecting that.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Intergang, I already know about. Let's hear that second part." </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"It's taken from something called the Book of Crime, and I'm pretty sure it's you in that picture."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As I looked, she explained the last few weeks to me. Following breadcrumbs left by a question mark who hired her, she went all the way to Khandaq in search of weapons being searched for by Intergang. There, she was framed for murder, stopped a suicide bombing, and snuck into a secret ritual, which was crashed by, of all people, Black Adam. She managed to scurry off with the book undertow, and grabbed the passage to Nanda Parbat from the first monks who said they were expecting her. There, she met Richard Dragon - one of the clues left by her question mark - and started to learn.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Vic Sage - the Question - was killed three months ago, by the Dark Archer. Caravan, in their first real mission, had gotten there just in time to bring him back, somehow - but he had already seen too much. He knew he had hours before another attempt was made on his life - one he couldn't cheat - and placed his clues. He payed a kid to drive his van to Gotham, put months of postage to Renee into the box, and arranged his affairs with his closest friends before his final death.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>So when she showed me the culmination of their investigation, and it was a picture of satan tearing out my heart, I wasn't too excited. But I did know who to call.</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>Renee never did like priests, even the chill ones. She had been on a bit of a sabbatical during the UN conference, so I didn't have the opportunity to clear the waters between her and Amphora. I think she calmed down a bit when he extended a hand that was covered in ink.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"This is the kid that leaked the Eiling footage, right?" Was her first question - first of many. How did the healing pot work, why was he in Gotham, and a million more. But she and I both knew there was something more pressing. "What's your take on this?" She handed him the thick, leather-bound book.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>After a minute of flipping through the pages, he nodded. "This... Religion of Crime venerates the greatest legendary criminals. Cain, Moriarty - there's mention in here of the rites of Cannibalism and Rape. It's also shockingly familiar to some of the writings in a certain book of shadows. You said this was Intergang?" Renee nodded. "Then I'm afraid we'll have to take the case off your hands. This is League business, not ex-GCPD."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dammit. Should have seen this coming. "Amphora, Renee already figured out my secret identity. Took her one look at my ass. If she wants to know something, she'll know - you can be damn sure of that."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Renee stepped forwards. "I risked my life to get that here. Vic… Charlie died for it. The least you can do is let me tag along for the ride."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Amphora raises a hand: "In this situation, I'll have to acquiesce. We don't have much time for debate here - Ms.Kane, it appears your heart only has three days left. Let's find where they're hiding and see what we can do."</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>It took seconds for Crow to ID Bruno Manheim from one of Supes' engagement reports. It took even less time for our coordinated strike - Crow and Amphora on the Manheimself, and me and Renee on the beast-men in the chapel. He winked as he said that, I guess as a subtle way of approving Renee - not that I needed it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It took seconds for them to go down. Maybe I'd just gotten better at fighting weirdos like this. I can't tell if that's a bad thing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As Crow silently approached the big guy working at some terminal, he peered at what he was writing. Internal mail, organizing what might have been thousands of shipments of alien technology - but none of it mattered. Crow poised himself to strike at the nape of the neck, until Manheim raised a device over his shoulder and fired an EMP.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As Crow fell to the ground, suddenly visible and seizing with pain, Amphora burst in through the window. With surprising agility, it took no time for Manheim to drag Crow from the second story and into the main hall, gun pointed to his head and EMP rippling through his body.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Come close to me, and the bird gets it! The prophecy will come true- the </span>
  <b>
    <em>Word</em>
  </b>
  <span> will not be </span>
  <b>
    <em>Denied</em>
  </b>
  <span>." He looked at me, holding the weird kid in his vicegrip. "With your death, Intergang's feast will truly begin." Still with his gun to the kid's head, he smirked and leaned into my face. "I shall devour you, just as chaos shall </span>
  <em>
    <span>devour</span>
  </em>
  <span> all of Gotham. So it is written, so it shall come to pass."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>In his face, I couldn't help but smile. "Too bad </span>
  <b>
    <em>we're</em>
  </b>
  <span> working from a different book."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Through his back a fiery blade came, missing Crow's limp form by a few inches. As he staggered, he dropped the birdboy, and turned to see the furious Amphora’s flaming sword, Renee pointing her advanced gun, and Orphan hanging over him, blade in hand. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Sorry Manheim - but the sermon's over." I socked him in the face, sending him flying, which felt really damn good - until, at the front of the chapel, a bright white light erupted, opening up what looked like a portal. Not like Amphora's, though.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Renee leaps forwards, shouting. "No, don't let him get away!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Boom tube! If we go through, there's no telling if we can get back. We can get him next time." He shouts as Manheim, grinning from ear to ear and bleeding from the chest and back, flies into it and disappears in a flash.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Renee drops her stance. "I </span>
  <em>
    <span>hate</span>
  </em>
  <span> it when they do that."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The four of us nod in unison. "Tell me about it."</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Huay Chavo</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>"Twice-named... Cain. Me?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"That would certainly be appropriate, Orphan, but the illustration and particular word used - daughter is imprecise. 'Unmarried adult heiress with sapphic connotations' doesn't sound very clean in a prophecy, does it?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Amphora and Orphan sat on a rooftop in Crime Alley, gazing out at the skyline. Below them, Crow and Batwoman stalked the well-hidden chapel - reporting empty room after empty room. Amphora sat with the Bible of Crime, translating it into his tablet.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Oh... so, Kate." She shuffled in her position, hand nearly slipping from her phone as she blasted through her opponents. "Sucks."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Amphora nodded. "It does suck. Intergang's been performing human sacrifices for years now, under our noses. Most of this is horribly blasphemous drivel, but some of it is dangerous - auguries done with entrails, rituals for sexual prowess and domination over... that's not appropriate. "</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Orphan's eyebrows raised and she glanced over at the book - only to be disappointed by its foreign language, and her subsequent loss at the hands of a default skin.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>While she cursed out the game servers, Amphora checked up on Kate and Crow. "Any signs of Manheim?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kate responded diligently. "No. We found blood, but Bruce's weird sequencer-thingy can't identify it."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Leave it to Batman to have the right tool for the wrong job." Crow muttered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"It's possible that someone's been here recently, but they probably cleared out quick. You know these guys, they're like rats. How's the translation?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Nothing new, unfortunately, unless you're planning on violating the Geneva Conventions. This entire case feels like a dead-end, even though we're so close. It's like we're waiting for something... to fall into our laps."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As he spoke those serendipitous words, a single feather drifted through the empty sky, dropped from the shadow of a flying predator. It landed in Orphan's lap, and she lifted it tentatively. "Barn Owl, but... big." Indeed it was, the size of a human forearm. A single screech echoed through the night.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Did you hear that?" Crow whispered through comms. Amphora stood, slamming and latching the Bible in his hands.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I did. Orphan, get inside. I've got a bad feeling - like we've walked into a trap."</span>
</p>
<hr/><p>
  <span>Kate grew concerned, two fingers on her ear and one on her telescoping staff, as she breached the last room in the place. Most of them had been empty, or full of furniture and drop-sheets. This one, though, was a library. Well-stocked, too. She had heard of most of these titles - biographies of, and works by, famous criminals. Even Freeze's new book stood brightly against the dusty contrast, pressed in to its Dewey-sanctioned location. She nearly dropped her guard.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>That is, nearly. For, from the paneled ceiling, two incredibly broad, hairy arms burst the wood and grabbed for her. She dodged a hair too slow, the claws slicing through her cheekbone like butter. In a moment, however, she brought her staff to bare and struck at the wiry wrist, causing a loud, layered roar to echo through the building.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Crow reacted in a second, bursting in through the open door, eyes glowing. He leapt into the shattered ceiling and fell back down in a grapple with a massive werewolf. The two began rending each other in the grapple, Crow with his daggers, and the wolf with its wicked claws. The second Batwoman leapt into the grapple, isolating its dominant arm in a leg-lock, the struggle was over.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"It's not Manheim, but we found something!" She shouted to the air, and in moments Orphan dashed through the door.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Bad dog!" She cried, and performed a somersault-spinning back-kick onto the beast's crown, bashing all consciousness from its head.</span>
</p>
<hr/><p>
  <span>Amphora stood alone on his mirror, facing the expanse of the sky over Gotham. For that moment, he truly wished he had the capabilities of Crow - the vision to end all vision. Sight beyond sight.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He didn't need to worry long. As soon as he heard the beating of massive wings, he gazed at the huge barn owl, silhouetted against the waxing moon. "You dropped this, </span>
  <em>
    <span>lechuza</span>
  </em>
  <span>." He raised the feather, letting it drift into the wind. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You're the boy who broke the </span>
  <em>
    <span>bruja</span>
  </em>
  <span> in Seattle." It replied, in a stretched, monotone voice. "Keep close watch of your friends. Manheim is no fool."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Amphora shakes his head. "We're far from Oaxaca. Why are you here?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"We're further from Thebes, </span>
  <em>
    <span>padre</span>
  </em>
  <span>. I seek werewolf Abbot, the deacon. His crimes against my people are too many to note."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Batwoman crackles over the radio. "We've got a were-dude here!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The owl coos, Amphora sensing a few ounces of resignation in its tone. "He is a foolish child - overeager. Let's settle this civilly." As it says that, it tentatively flies closer to Amphora, then places its massive talon onto his mirror, seamlessly transforming into a leather sandal. Before his eyes, the smoky white owl becomes an older latina woman, with feathered hair that same smoky white, and wrinked bags under her eyes. Despite her age and stature, she stands confidently on the mirror, with no worry for balance - like a dancer, poised and graceful at every moment.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The two arrive at the bay windows of the warehouse-turned-chapel, Amphora lending the elder a hand to step through into the disarrayed library. She looks over at the passed-out form of a brusque young mexican man, stepping over him and opening with a tirade about his foolishness.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Batwoman, Crow, and Orphan all crowd around Amphora, who begins tending to their wounds.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"These are not the foes you battled the other night, Batwoman. I'm no expert on Mesoamerican folklore, but these are not the same as Intergang's werefolk. If your record says anything, the leader of the shapeshifters in this city, Abbot, is from the Germanic tradition - </span>
  <em>
    <span>werwulf</span>
  </em>
  <span>. These are </span>
  <em>
    <span>Nagual</span>
  </em>
  <span>, shamans of Olmec tradition."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Crow shrugs. "Sounds like you know what you're talking about. Y'know, I killed a werewolf once."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The old bruja cuts Crow a glance, before slapping her ward's cheek. Quietly, Amphora applies his magic to the growing welt on his forehead, and in a moment he's rousing awake. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"</span>
  <em>
    <span>'Lita</span>
  </em>
  <span>, I'm awake! Jesu- you!" He raises his arm at Batwoman and Crow, fingers stretching into furred claws. His arms, already prodigiously hairy, begin to sprout new hairs as he scrambles backwards into a sofa. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The witch slaps his hand, stopping the transformation. "You jump to conclusions again, *</span>
  <em>
    <span>mijo</span>
  </em>
  <span>*. This is the Caravan. They, too, search for your father."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Batwoman steps closer. "Father? I'm sorry, we're trying to stop Bruno Manheim."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Abbot, curse his name, is my father. I plan to kill him for what he did to my mother. He works for that </span>
  <em>
    <span>gringo</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Manheim, and his fucking cult." The kid stands, his arm shrinking to normal proportions, and he closes the distance. "If you do, too, then we're together for a reason." He reaches a hand out to shake Batwoman's. Tentatively, she takes it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I am Julio- no. Lobo."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Amphora coughs. "That name's taken. Alien bounty hunter."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Oh, uh... Warwolf."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Marvel character."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Deathclaw."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Fallout." Orphan adds.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Spirit Wolf?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"World of Warcraft." From Kate.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Wolf Guy."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Obscure action manga."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Dread Wolf."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Dragon Age. You know, we can easily think of a codename later."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"No, no, I've got this. Wayob, Huay Chivo, Nahual... Huay Chavo. Tonal." He sputters, trying to associate the native words into something appealing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Alright, Psycho-Wolf. Let's get this show on the road."</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I decided that these characters were too stupid to actually introduce.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. For Real this Time</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>(Retconning the events of the previous chapter, we see our heroes as they pause, just before their next lead.)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Amphora sighed. "This entire case feels like a dead-end, even though we're so close. It's like we're waiting for something... to fall into our laps."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kate grew concerned, two fingers on her ear and one on her telescoping staff, as she breached the last room in the place. Most of them had been empty, or full of furniture and drop-sheets. This one, though, was a library. Well-stocked, too. She had heard of most of these titles - biographies of, and works by, famous criminals. Even Freeze's new book stood brightly against the dusty contrast, pressed in to its Dewey-sanctioned location. She nearly dropped her guard.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>That is, nearly. For, not a second later, a figure came bursting from the paneled ceiling - one wearing armor and carrying a flaming sword. Batwoman instantly recognized him as Azrael, one of the bat-family; and certainly not someone she expected to find here.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>From the exposed third floor, two men dropped into the library. One was large, an armored man with a strange skull-mask; the other wore no mask at all, and hardly any clothes. His pale skin stood out from his red armor, and he - christ, he was Nicholas Scratch.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Oh, shit! The Bat-Bitch! Damn, good timing. We were just kicking ass." He says, standing from a crouch. In a few steps, he's crossed the room, leaning against the ruined couch and smiling. "What brings you here?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Even Kate Kane knew who Nicolas Scratch was - the rock star, Times' Sexiest Man in America right next to Bruce Wayne. And, apparently - violent supervillain. The other one looked strangely familiar - until Kate realized who he was. LeHah, the arms dealer - his skull was the trademark.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Azrael coughed and tried to stand, as the fat man fired a round from his oversized handgun into his chest. Crow burst into the room, feather ripping through space to match the bullet - and just in time.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The fight was on as Batwoman leapt for the underdressed punk star, telescoping staff extended. He raised his guard, and the two grappled over the pole between them. Crow's blades careened through the air, slicing into and through the steel guns, the receiver sliding from the man's hands. He roared, and threw down the mangled pieces.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"The Demon Lord Biis will not be insulted!" He raised his gauntlet and launched a burst of flame at the assassin, which he valiantly tried to block using his feathers, though tongues of flame licked him through his telekinetic shield. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Batwoman bashed her head against the handsome man, causing an audible crack as his nose bent under her pressure. Shocked and in pain, he fell backwards onto the couch, and used this momentum to kick Batwoman over him - directly into the path of Biis's flames.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Sin and Crime go hand in hand, don't you think?" Shouted Scratch as Batwoman was pelted by flames, using her cape to block much of it but still searing her face and back. As she hit the bookshelf on the opposite side of the room, the whole thing wobbled and then toppled over on top of her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Just as Crow's shield was beginning to fail, the bay window behind him burst. Orphan rolled in and threw two knives, penetrating the</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. For Real this Time</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>McKenzie didn't know what the hell she was in for.</p><p>Sybil's friend, that hero priest guy, and some hot chick asked her to help them out. Said they needed someone to pose as a criminal, and infiltrate a strange cult. She had every mind to say "fuck no", but - Sybil. She talked her into it. Why the hell did she let her talk her into it?</p><p>Rubbermaid had never been to Gotham, and much less the seediest part of it - Crime Alley. Yet, she was told she'd be perfectly safe - not that it felt that way. Amphora and Batwoman were nearby, and talking to her in her mind. She cringed, remembering the last supernatural encounter she had, but she gritted her teeth and bared it. This was her chance, in a way, to redeem herself.</p><p>The warehouse was nearly empty; a handful of weird skinheads were playing cards in the main room, but she just walked past them. They didn't give a shit, apparently, because aside from the passing glance, they ignored her. That was probably thanks to the disguise, though. She hadn't thought about how easy it was to look like a supervillain - they just pulled some random costume from their storage and threw it on her. Sybil and Kate crowded around her, working on her makeup, while Amphora calmly drew tattoos on her skin with magic marker. It looked like shit up close, and that's why she gave everyone a wide berth.</p><p>The target, that cute kid Crow had ID'd, was the library. There was something in there, apparently, that they were concerned about. A briefcase, or laptop, or - know what, she didn't care. The second she was in there, she'd just ask, and then probably get the hell out as fast as she could. Oceans 11 style, in-and-out... god, she could go for some In-N-Out.</p><p>The library was empty. Well, of people. She took a second to rest against the arm of the sofa, and tried doing the thing they told her. She thought.</p><p><em> "I'm inside the room. What the hell am I looking for?" </em> She hoped she wasn't being weird.</p><p>
  <em> "Perfect, Rubbermaid. You're right where you're supposed to be. You're looking for a book - it should be in an Aramaic script, Religion section, Class 216."  </em>
</p><p>Now, she had been a decent athlete, but never the best in class. And she'd never had to look for a book in the library before. Suffice it to say that she was a bit out of her comfort zone, looking at the wall-to-wall shelves in the small room. There was barely enough space between them for her to slide in. Frankly, her hips were just wide enough to get her stuck - thank god she was bendy.</p><p>As she perused the titles, trying to find the number he mentioned - <em> "216, 216, looking for 216" </em>- the door to the room opened, and a large man stepped in.</p><p>Immediately his eyes fell on the tattooed villainess in his library. The man grinned, and began to approach her.</p><p><em> "Uhh, creep alert. Big guy in here." </em>She said, and then looked at him with her best 'villainess' face - half sultry, half smoldering, all bad.</p><p>
  <em> "Big guy? Damn. What's he look like? Crow, get us a visual." </em>
</p><p>"It's not every day one of our own becomes interested in the apocrypha, young miss." He places one hand on the top of the shelf, leaning into the space, dominating it with his sheer presence - and moustache. "What is it you're looking for? Revelation? Polemics? Or maybe..." His eyes gazed to her hands, where she had one finger on a dusty leather tome - the sticker on the side reading '216'. "Evil."</p><p><em> "Amphora, it's him. Manheim." </em>The cute kid's voice echoes in her head - conflicting with her pure disgust at this oversized gangster.</p><p><em> "Rubbermaid, run. Abort. Get out of there right now." </em> Amphora's urgency tripled, and she could tell he was actually afraid. But there was nowhere to run. This Manheim stood in the way out - blocking her into the claustrophobic nook, shoved between two towering shelves. As she took a step back, her back bumped on the wall.</p><p>"This is a particularly special book. I wonder why you're looking for it?" He said, the giddiness in his voice nearly eking out the measured confidence. "You see, this is my personal collection - I keep it nice and neat. You can't learn without organization, order. It took weeks to apply all these labels. I always make examples of people who put books back in the wrong order." He grinned, and plucked the book from the shelf, flipping it open. "But this is a loaner, I just got it - from a new friend. It's got some wild stuff. Rituals, spells - actual magic. Right there, in the book. Wild, huh?"</p><p>Not knowing what else to do, Rubbermaid stiffened her lip and nodded. "Crazy."</p><p>"So, what did you need it for? Summoning devils? Manifesting misfortune? Or maybe..." He turned to a page, cracking the spine in the same place it had been cracked too many times. "Maybe, this new one I've been looking into... <b> <em>Time Rape</em> </b>."</p><p>Rubbermaid's heart began to pump even faster - she could feel it in her chest, feel her temples and throat tightening, her body flushing - she was caught in a primal state. She needed to run. She glanced upwards - the shelves had a foot of clearance to the paneled ceiling. If she moved quick, she could leap over - </p><p>"It gets you excited too. That makes me..." He leaned over her, blocking her exit. "Very happy. It thrusts us into different timelines, from the same starting point, to replay the same events, over and over - oh, how much misery we can create. And you know what the best part is? The trigger. All that needs to happen, is the worst thing. The worst possible action that could be taken in that moment. The darkest timeline. When it happens - and it *<em> will </em>* happen - time resets, and we can do it all over again."</p><p>He dropped the book to the carpeted floor, where it landed open on the spell. His hands slowly moved towards her. She made a move, to kick him and leap out - but before she could, he moved like a viper. His hands, themselves the size of her face, gripped onto her head, and he cackled madly as he twisted her neck - the snapping a single, violent noise that died in that quiet room.</p><p> </p><p>Rubbermaid's foot then soared straight into Manheim's hairy balls.</p><p>"Didn't know I could bend that far!" She shouted as she fell to the floor. He gripped his nuts, and she used his weight to slingshot herself using her rubber arms between his legs, lifting the book from the ground as she did so. She wasn't a petty criminal for nothing.</p><p>She dashed across the library, hurdling like a trained sprinter (which, in fact, she was) over the sofa, not even pausing before leaping through the glass of the bay windows - and into the arms of the waiting Crow.</p><p>Manheim spun around, reaching for his pistol, clearly enraged. He saw the shards of glass fall from the window frame around the rubber thief. "Come on, hero, fucking fly!" She cried to Crow, who - understandably so - was shocked. Still, he wasn't an expert assassin if he couldn't react fast, and kicked off the building into the clear night sky, carrying the triumphant girl into the full moon's light, out of Crime Alley. </p><p>She turned once more to her assailant, and raised her middle finger high. "FUCK YOU!" echoed across the city as the criminal seethed.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Loop broken.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Chapter 7</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>"A loop? Like, some Back to the Future shit?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kinsey nodded. "I know it makes no sense, but that's what the creep told me. He said it 'puts us in different timelines' or something. Listen, I did what I had to, now can I go back home?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Amphora sighed. He placed the book down onto the simple table and placed a hand on his forehead. "She's right. The spell is put in place by a ritual murder - I could alter the specifics, but I don't think Manheim has. When he offers the heart of the Daughter of Cain, he merges all the worst together. It's most certainly based in the effects of a Crisis - but crystalized. Still, they're not wizards. If I had to guess, their control over the timeline is shaky at best - likely to cause resets without cause."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"She's right. Whatever happens, we have to avoid manipulating time - only God knows how that would end. It's our duty to stop them. But... how?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Crow emerges from the kitchen, holding cooled tins of muffins. "Sounds to me like you need a trap."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kate raises an eyebrow. "Oh yeah? And what's the bait?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Renee puts her hand on Kate's. "You! They want you, right?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kate pulls her hand back. "No, no, nononono. I'm not making the better mousetrap here. They're trying to kill me!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"They're trying to kill all of us, Kate." Amphora solemnly notes. "But they'd do a lot to get to you in particular. Even risk being followed. If we remain vigilant, we can follow them to their base and attack them swiftly. Only, of course, if you're willing."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Hell no!" Kate says, emphatically.</span>
</p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Chapter 8</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Hell no!" Kate says, angrily.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Chapter 9</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Hell no!" Kate says, confused.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Chapter 10</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"H-hell no." Kate stammers, feeling an eerie sense of déjà vu.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. Chapter 11</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Hell no." She says, sitting down.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0012"><h2>12. Chapter 12</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"No." She mumbles, gripping onto the table for balance.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0013"><h2>13. Chapter 13</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>"Fine." She whispers, her face flushed. Renee grabs her, concern on her face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Kate, are you okay? You don't have to, if you don't want to."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"No, I... I think I have to. Jesus, I'll do it. Amphora, if they kill me, it's your fault."</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0014"><h2>14. Chapter 14</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The plan was simple, and carried out effectively. In the middle of the night, the beastmen swarmed Kate's townhouse, busting through the front door and reaching into her bed, where she convincingly kicked the shit out of them - being beaten down only barely, allowing them a few scrapes and a fake fall into their clutches. Crow watched closely, and followed them as they left.</p><p>"Jesus. They figured out her identity faster than I did." Renee Montoya shakes her head and drives the van to the location Crow described. A derelict cistern near the outskirts of Gotham, basically abandoned in favor of the more robust sewer system established by Patrick Wayne - this one developed by the Kane family.</p><p>"We'll need to do some identity coaching once this is over." Amphora sighed. "The good news is, upon further inspection, the time dilation only affects Gotham, and its inhabitants. When it happens, the daughter - Kate - can feel it. The only way to end it is, uh... hm. Let me try that again." He leaned over the book, scribbling into his notes. </p><p>"The only - huh? Shit, we're here." She turned the lights on the car off and, quietly, creeps into a hidden place. Orphan rocks to a crouch, dropping the strange device she was toying with, and peeking through the door.</p><p>
  <em>"They're taking her through the north entrance. I'll follow her in."</em>
</p><p><em>"Be careful, Crow. Manheim knows your EMP vulnerability - he's sure to abuse it. There's likely a tech dead zone down there." </em>Amphora admitted, fearfully. The three vigilantes stepped out of the car and stalked towards the entrance. The three were-beasts guarding it were already handled by Crow, who crouched nervously beside the mason stairs. </p><p>"The tech goes in my brain. If it's dead down there, so am I." Amphora nodded and shook his hand, thanking him. Then, he descended the steps into the tunnel.</p><p>The cistern was dank and cold, but lit by oil and candles. Deep within, figures crowded around an altar - and on its surface, Batwoman. They even took the time to put on her costume. Abbot, the wolfman leader, stands besides Manheim, the biggest of them all.</p><p>As they chant, Amphora, Renee, and Orphan rush in behind a pillar. Amphora strains his ears, and makes out the words of the spell - he doesn't even want to think its name.</p><p>"In the name of Cain, I consecrate this dagger..." The same ritual dagger from the book - looks like they're nearly at the bad part. Amphora nods to the other two, and they move out.</p><p>"And in the name of Abel the Sheep, and all the innocent of this world, I declare you a blasphemer and demoniac. Prepare to face the Wrath of God, Bruno Manheim." Amphora's tattoos begin to glow, and he lifts forwards off his feet. As the cloak of the Spectre follows him, he body checks Manheim against a pillar, smashing straight through. Orphan drops from the ceiling onto Abbot, the wolf-bishop, and begins to choke him while he flails against her.</p><p>Renee stares down the viper-priestess and two were-fuckers. Suddenly feeling very small, she grips tight her strange, alien gun. "Guess that leaves me with you assholes. Come and get some!" She kites the large gorilla-man around a pillar and feeds the bear some of her boot to the face, but the viperess wraps her arms around her shoulders and starts salivating over her exposed neck.</p><p>From the rubble and dust of the collapsed ceiling, Manheim kicks Amphora across the wide space and against the stone altar where Kate lies, helpless. Blood erupts from his chest as he strikes the hard stone, and Manheim tosses off his robe, revealing a suit of mechanized armor. He cackles as his fists arc with electricity. </p><p>Abbot, twisting on his heel, whips Orphan against a stone pillar and knocks her out, sending her sprawling onto the floor at Amphora's feet. As the Viper's fangs sink into Renee's neck, she cries. "No... EMP!"</p><p>As she watches, though, Manheim's fist crash's through Amphora's manifested Amphora - scattering healing fluids across the ground. He cackles and kicks into his chest. Renee sinks to the floor, in the priestess's grip.</p><p>"I consecrate this <b><em>fucking</em> </b>dagger in the name of Kane. May all you fuckers rot in hell." He lifts the dagger from the altar and plunges it into Kate Kane's heart, her screaming cries echoing into the darkness.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0015"><h2>15. Chapter 15</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The plan was simple, and carried out effectively. In the middle of the night, the beastmen swarmed Kate's townhouse, busting through the front door and reaching into her bed, where she convincingly kicked the shit out of them - being beaten down only barely, allowing them a few scrapes and a fake fall into their clutches. Crow watched closely, and followed them as they left.</p><p>Kate realized as soon as they had her bound - she felt an aching pain in her chest. Right over her heart. That aching déjà vu - like she had been here before. And, when she thought about it, she had. When they tossed her into their van, she caught a scant glance at the sky - and a single, massive bird silhouetted against the Gotham night sky. Mustering her concentration despite the head and heart aches, she thought.</p><p>What did she say? No EMPs. Crow was blasted with EMPs last week, fucked him up good - that's why they were worrying. I need to tell them. How the hell, though?</p><p>She knew before she even realized. The first thing the Colonel had taught her and Betty as kids - Morse Code. </p><hr/><p>*"Be careful, Crow. Manheim knows your EMP vulnerability - he's sure to abuse it. There's likely a tech dead zone down there."* As Amphora, Renee, and Orphan crawled from the van, Crow stood over the three dispatched guards. </p><p>"As weird as it sounds - I don't think so. I think... I was looking into the van while I followed it. Kind of hard not to. I saw Batwoman... blinking. In morse code. She said... well, she said 'No EMP'." Crow shook his head. "Crazy, but I think she knew."</p><p>Amphora gulped. "Then... alright. Let's make this quick."</p><p>Crow was the first to strike, hitting Manheim right in his armor's power supply with his daggers. Orphan and Amphora were next, taking on Abbot and the three were-friends. Renee knew that she could definitely make it to Kate if she ran - and she did. Lifting the ceremonial dagger, she sliced through Kate's bonds, lifting her from the altar.</p><p>As Kate grinned and lifted herself, her smile fell off - "Behind you!" she cried, as Manheim's fist crashed into the back of Renee's head, sending her facefirst into the altar's stone. The sickening crack drove Kate to leap off the altar, and into the fight. Manheim held Crow in one hand, his handheld EMP device pressed against his chin, firing pulses of energy into his skull. The poor kid's eyes were rolled into the back of his head - Kate couldn't tell if he was dead or alive.</p><p>Amphora and Orphan fared hardly better. As Abbot whipped Orphan's body against the stone pillar, Amphora dove to catch her, but was pinned to the floor by the other two werefolk. The viperess lay defeated, but the others proved too much for the wizard, as they shredded his spellbook into pieces. Abbot, seeing Kate risen, dashed over towards her.</p><p>She tried to hold him back, but Manheim backed him up. The two grinned wildly as Abbot's claws pierced straight into her chest - to rip out her red, fleshy heart.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0016"><h2>16. Chapter 16</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The plan was simple, but something was off. As the beasts walked in, Kate gave herself over to them - already dressed in her costume.</p><p>Crow, following behind, radioed to Amphora. "She's talking to me in morse code. Blinking. Just said my name. It's... a battle plan."</p><p>Amphora slams his fist against the makeshift workspace in the back of the van. "How many times have we failed? If this is right, she should be able to gain awareness of the loops, given time. Seems that some poor robber got himself caught up in one of these trying to commit the perfect crime. Ended up killing himself, just to get out of it. The only way out... ritual murder. It's baked in. I can't work it out."</p><p>"She's saying it slowly, but I'm making it out. I cut her loose, she and you take on Manheim. Cass and Renee take Abbot, and I take the rest."</p><p>"At least she's still committed." Renee mumbles, nervously, from the driver's seat.</p><p>"We... Failed?" Orphan strings, but Amphora shakes his head. </p><p>"No, not yet. We haven't failed yet." He lifts the book. "As much as I hate it, we might have an option here."</p><p>Crow pipes in. "She says... this time."</p><p>The four step inside the cistern, where Manheim chants the final lines to the ritual. Crow's form sinks into the shadows, and Amphora stares at the book, mumbling.</p><p>Kate sends Crow her last message - "G O". </p><p>They all spring into action, Crow first. Nth-metal daggers slice through the ropes constricting Kate and she springs into action, her body sluggish but motivated. She sends a foot into Manheim's chin and flings herself off the rear of the altar. </p><p>Orphan drops onto Abbot's shoulders as Renee fires a beam from her strange gun into his back, searing his skin and sending him face-first into a column. Crow unleashes a storm of feathers at the trio of beastmen, rending their flesh and driving them to their knees.</p><p>Amphora, distressed but overwhelmed with righteous fury, rushes towards Manheim on his mirror. While he dodges and blocks lashes of energy from the wrist-mounted weapons on his battlesuit, Batwoman slips behind him to nick the EMP device from his belt - and fires it at his chest, killing all the servos and weapons systems in his armor. He barely has time to block a direct blow from Amphora, moving pounds of metal on his own muscle mass.</p><p>"I'm not sure about breaking the loop - at this juncture, it's likely to happen from residual Crisis energy at any moment. However, I can resolve the spell." Amphora shouts above the sounds of combat as he and Kate Kane fight the immense strength of Bruno Manheim.</p><p>"Anything - as long as it works. Come on, just do it! I don't wanna do this again." She cries, gripping the massive fist between her forearms and judo-throwing Manheim into a wall. </p><p>"God - this better work then." Amphora conjures his flaming blade, and grabs Kate by the shoulder, pushing her against the stone of the Altar. "This is going to hurt." He drives it through the center of her chest, into the altar, and driving a strange feeling through her - one of déjà vu.</p><hr/><p>"Psycho-wolf! Secure your father!" Amphora shouts, drawing the spirit blade from her chest, leaving no wound - or even pain. The strangely familiar sight of a gangly werewolf and an aged *lechuza* draws her from her sensation, and she gazes at the rest of the room.  Crow, Orphan, and Renee stand victorious over the group of were-folk, and the <em>naqual </em>restrains Abbot while the barn-owl witch whispers a spell that lulls him to sleep.</p><p>"You... you did it."</p><p>"Presumably, I just merged all the positive timelines into one. Consecrated in Cain, and consecrated in God - those were the keys. Damn it all, though, if it didn't do *some* damage." He turns to the empty cistern as it crackles with energy and then light, and a blinding portal opens before them. </p><p>Through it, stems a golden man with fiery hair - and a seriously pissed off look.</p><p>"Here. Just get it out of here." Amphora throws the dark spellbook at him, and he catches it. </p><p>The Waverider glances at it for a moment, and nods. "Fare well, Caravan. I'll be seeing you." He disappears in a flash of light, and Amphora lets out a deep breath against the altar. </p><p>"... Sounds like that's it. Let's, uh... Let's just get out of here." Batwoman pats him on the shoulder and sends one final kick to Manheim's head.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Loop Broken</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0017"><h2>17. Chapter 17</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Me and Renee broke it off about a week later.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sure, it was great - taking down bad guys, fucking, talking, fucking - but we both knew it wouldn't be forever. She had some Questions she needed answers to. Figured the best place to look would be where she found the first set - Nanda Parbat. And worse, she needed to be alone.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I guess we all have to deal with that at some point, huh? Our times just... didn't line up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Morse code... got me thinking of my sister. Maybe if we had had some time magic back then, we could have done something. Maybe she would still be here. Maybe she'd be Batwoman, and I could just be Kate Kane. Or maybe something else. Maybe I shouldn't worry about what I </span>
  <em>
    <span>could have</span>
  </em>
  <span> done - and focus on what I <em>c</em></span>
  <em>
    <span>an</span>
  </em>
  <span> do. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>I'm the goddamn Batwoman, right? I'm part of the team of super-YA's saving the world, right? And maybe I can wait a little while for my squeeze to show back up in town because I got a little emotional. The Colonel tells me that everything has a time. I'd like to believe him. I think I do. But somewhere, there's some crazy bastards making up their own rules on time. Space, too. Goddamn everything. Bigger than me. Bigger than her. So I don't have time to mope over some girl. I'm the goddamn Batwoman.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
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